IUCN CENTRAL ASIA OFFICE OPENING
On June 2, 2025, the official opening of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) office took place in Tashkent. The opening ceremony was held at the Green University - a Central Asian University for environment and climate change, which would host the IUCN Central Asia office. SIC ICWC was represented by Ms. ZulfiyaYarullina and Ms. Fazilatkhon Abdullaeva in this event.
The ceremony was started with welcoming remarks by Mr. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Keynote addresses were also delivered by Dr. Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General; Beibut Atamkulov, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (IUCN ECARO).
Founded in 1948, IUCN is the world's oldest and largest environmental organization, bringing together government agencies and civil society to offer diverse approaches to environmental challenges.
IUCN holds observer status at the United Nations General Assembly and leverages the expertise of more than 1,400 member organizations and over 15,000 experts worldwide. Dmitriy Gorshkov has been appointed as the Regional Programme Coordinator for IUCN Central Asia team.
As part of ongoing bilateral cooperation between IUCN and Uzbekistan, grant initiatives totaling over $22 million have been launched. Current efforts include two national projects and one regional initiative, all focused on environmental protection, the restoration of degraded land, strengthening ecosystem resilience, preserving valuable natural landscapes amid climate change, and building both human and institutional capacity in environmental protection.
Looking ahead, both parties plan to deepen their cooperation across several key areas. These include the development of strategies for the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, the preparation of an updated edition of the Red Book of Uzbekistan using IUCN methodologies, and the improvement of the management system for protected natural areas. Enhanced collaboration with international experts and the IUCN Centre for Environmental Law in Bonn, Germany is also envisioned.
IUCN has also extended invitations to experts and partners to participate in two upcoming events: the IUCN World Conservation Congress, to be held from 9-15 October 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and the Regional Forum for Nature Protection of Europe, North and Central Asia, scheduled for 30 September – 10 October 2025 in Bruges, Belgium.
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